Long weekends in France, 2026
2026 has 11 public holidays, and 9 of them give you a weekday off. The best bridge: 4 days off for 1 day of leave around New Year's Day.
The best bridges in 2026
Each public holiday on a weekday, with the leave that stretches it furthest.
- Thu, Jan 1
New Year's Day
- Best value
4 days off for 1 day of leave · Thu, Jan 1 to Sun, Jan 4
Take off: Fri, Jan 2
- Best value
- Mon, Apr 6
Easter Monday
- Free long weekend
3 days off, no leave needed · Sat, Apr 4 to Mon, Apr 6
- Best value
4 days off for 1 day of leave · Fri, Apr 3 to Mon, Apr 6
Take off: Fri, Apr 3
- Longest break
10 days off for 5 days of leave · Sat, Mar 28 to Mon, Apr 6
Take off: Mon, Mar 30 to Fri, Apr 3
- Free long weekend
- Fri, May 1, Fri, May 8, and Thu, May 14
Labour Day, Victory Day, Ascension Day
- Free long weekend
3 days off, no leave needed · Fri, May 1 to Sun, May 3
- Best value
4 days off for 1 day of leave · Thu, Apr 30 to Sun, May 3
Take off: Thu, Apr 30
- Longest break
18 days off for 9 days of leave · Thu, Apr 30 to Sun, May 17
Take off: Thu, Apr 30, Mon, May 4 to Thu, May 7, Mon, May 11 to Wed, May 13, and Fri, May 15
- Free long weekend
- Mon, May 25
Whit Monday
- Free long weekend
3 days off, no leave needed · Sat, May 23 to Mon, May 25
- Best value
4 days off for 1 day of leave · Fri, May 22 to Mon, May 25
Take off: Fri, May 22
- Longest break
10 days off for 5 days of leave · Sat, May 16 to Mon, May 25
Take off: Mon, May 18 to Fri, May 22
- Free long weekend
- Tue, Jul 14
Bastille Day
- Best value
4 days off for 1 day of leave · Sat, Jul 11 to Tue, Jul 14
Take off: Mon, Jul 13
- Longest break
10 days off for 5 days of leave · Fri, Jul 10 to Sun, Jul 19
Take off: Fri, Jul 10, Mon, Jul 13, and Wed, Jul 15 to Fri, Jul 17
- Best value
- Wed, Nov 11
Armistice Day
- Best value
5 days off for 2 days of leave · Sat, Nov 7 to Wed, Nov 11
Take off: Mon, Nov 9, Tue, Nov 10
- Longest break
10 days off for 5 days of leave · Fri, Nov 6 to Sun, Nov 15
Take off: Fri, Nov 6, Mon, Nov 9, Tue, Nov 10, and Thu, Nov 12, Fri, Nov 13
- Best value
- Fri, Dec 25
Christmas Day
- Free long weekend
3 days off, no leave needed · Fri, Dec 25 to Sun, Dec 27
- Best value
4 days off for 1 day of leave · Thu, Dec 24 to Sun, Dec 27
Take off: Thu, Dec 24
- Longest break
16 days off for 8 days of leave · Sat, Dec 19 to Sun, Jan 3
Take off: Mon, Dec 21 to Thu, Dec 24 and Mon, Dec 28 to Thu, Dec 31
- Free long weekend
Plan your leave for 2026
Tell it how many days of leave you have. It picks the breaks that give the most days off in a row.
37 days off in 9 breaks
Uses 10 days of leave
- Thu, Jan 1 to Sun, Jan 44 days off for 1 day of leave
- Fri, Apr 3 to Mon, Apr 64 days off for 1 day of leave
- Thu, Apr 30 to Sun, May 34 days off for 1 day of leave
- Thu, May 7 to Sun, May 104 days off for 1 day of leave
- Thu, May 14 to Sun, May 174 days off for 1 day of leave
- Fri, May 22 to Mon, May 254 days off for 1 day of leave
- Sat, Jul 11 to Tue, Jul 144 days off for 1 day of leave
- Sat, Nov 7 to Wed, Nov 115 days off for 2 days of leave
- Thu, Dec 24 to Sun, Dec 274 days off for 1 day of leave
2026 at a glance
Public holidays in France, 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1Thursday | Thursday | New Year's Day | Nationwide |
| April 3Friday | Friday | Good Friday | 5 regionsBas-Rhin, Guadeloupe, Haut-Rhin, Martinique, Moselle |
| April 6Monday | Monday | Easter Monday | Nationwide |
| April 27Monday | Monday | Abolition of Slavery | Mayotte |
| May 1Friday | Friday | Labour Day | Nationwide |
| May 8Friday | Friday | Victory Day | Nationwide |
| May 14Thursday | Thursday | Ascension Day | Nationwide |
| May 22Friday | Friday | Abolition of Slavery | Martinique |
| May 25Monday | Monday | Whit Monday | Nationwide |
| May 27Wednesday | Wednesday | Abolition of Slavery | Guadeloupe and Saint Martin |
| June 10Wednesday | Wednesday | Abolition of Slavery | Guyane |
| July 14Tuesday | Tuesday | Bastille Day | Nationwide |
| August 15Saturday | Saturday | Assumption, Falls on a weekend | Nationwide |
| October 9Friday | Friday | Abolition of Slavery | Saint Barthélemy |
| November 1Sunday | Sunday | All Saints' Day, Falls on a weekend | Nationwide |
| November 11Wednesday | Wednesday | Armistice Day | Nationwide |
| December 20Sunday | Sunday | Abolition of Slavery, Falls on a weekend | La Réunion |
| December 25Friday | Friday | Christmas Day | Nationwide |
| December 26Saturday | Saturday | Boxing Day, Falls on a weekend | Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, and Moselle |
Turn New Year's Day into a trip
Plan the days, the stays and the bookings in one itinerary, with your group, on Waiz.
Long weekends in France: questions
There are 11 nationwide public holidays in France in 2026, 9 of them on a weekday. Regions add their own, from 12 to 13 in total depending on where you work.
Taking 1 day of leave off around New Year's Day (Fri, Jan 2) gives you 4 days off in a row.
Spend leave next to public holidays that fall on a Tuesday, Thursday or a Monday or Friday next to a weekend. With 10 days of leave of leave, the planner above finds 37 days off in 2026.
Holiday dates from the date-holidays project (CC BY-SA 3.0), checked against official government sources. Company agreements and contracts can add or move days off; check yours before booking.
